‘Bridge to Terabithia’ fantasizes Colombo

Gabor Csupo's children fantasy adventure ‘Bridge to Terabithia’ is now being screened at the Majestic Cinema Colombo. Based on an award-winning young adult book about the friendship of two lonely, misfit preteens and their imaginary world, "Bridge to Terabithia" has been brought to the screen by the producers of "The Chronicles of Narnia, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe."

Author Katherine Paterson's Newbury Award-winning "Bridge to Terabithia," about a pair of outsider school kids who create a vivid fantasy world to deal with the frustrations in their young lives, has made that tricky passage to the big screen faithfully intact.

Jess Aarons (Josh Hutcherson) is a loner at his middle school, the middle child among four sisters in a family living in an unspecified rural community (Appalachia in the book). His dad (Robert Patrick), who works at a hardware store and on their farm to make ends meet, gives Jess plenty of chores but little emotional support. In his solitude, Jess escapes into a world of imaginative drawings he creates.

A new student, Leslie Burke (AnnaSophia Robb), becomes Jess' classmate and next-door neighbour. Dressed in funky leggings with cloggy boots and a choppy blond haircut, she's an eccentric original in this cookie-cutter community. Her parents, both writers from the city, have come to the country to finish their latest book. Their focus on the project leaves Leslie alone with her own writing talent to keep her company.

Leslie captivates Jess with her soaring imagination, and the two are soon wandering the woods behind their houses, creating their own version of reality - the kingdom of Terabithia. Their invented realm includes a castle (an abandoned tree house they refurbish) and magical inhabitants who metaphorically embody their experiences and fears. Originally released on February 16, 2007 ‘Bridge to Terabithia’ was filmed in New Zealand.